Enemies of Prosperity

This book shows the failure of socialism, interventionism, and the welfare state. Internationally renowned economist Antony Mueller analyses why socialism brings misery, the suppression of freedom, and a broken economy. Interventionism comes along with political populism and results in state capitalism and the growth of government. People like to praise this mixed system as a welfare state, but they fail to recognize that this politics does not lead to the hoped-for Eldorado but is the path to stagnation. The welfare state produces most of the social ailments, which the government claims to heal. The more generous the social assistance, the larger the number of social welfare recipients, and the higher the burden, the more the shadow economy will flourish. When the tax code gets more complicated, tax evasion rises. The more access to public healthcare and medication, the sicker people become. The higher the percentage of a populational cohort that attends high schools and colleges, the lower the educational level. Interventionism discourages innovation and leads to a waste of resources due to the cost of regulation and the misallocation brought about by the state intervention. The results are perpetual fiscal and monetary crises. The book uses excerpts from Antony Mueller's comprehensive monograph "Beyond the State and Politics".